Archive for the ‘Q&A’ Category

I’m shockingly bad at talking about myself. Not in a cute way, either—in a won’t-tell-my-boyfriend-of-two-years-how-to-pronounce-my-last-name kind of way (it’s “Gat” as in “Cat” and “ta” as in “ta-ta”).

Anyhow, to make up for my awful stage fright I’ve asked my bestest friend Christine Bell to ask me a couple questions so you can learn about me in a way that doesn’t take five years of slowly learning that I don’t eat mayonnaise and have only been eating your mom’s macaroni salad to be polite.

Ready, Christine? Take it away!

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So happy to be here to grill ask Allison some questions today in celebration of her very first Entangled release! rubs hands together Standard disclosure: As always with these types of interviews, 100% honesty is expected, or the interviewee gets struck by lightning. By answering these questions, you also acknowledge that said questions might have side effects including but not limited to:

This is my go-to book. I read it at least once a year, and honestly, I swoon a little every time. I love all KMM’s books and characters, but Drustan McKeltar, the hero of Kiss, is the ultimate alpha hero in my eyes.

Harry Potter (yes, the whole series) , by JK Rowling

This may not be the most original choice, but it sure is a worthy choice. It’s the first series I’ve ever counted down the days to release – and headed to the shop to buy on release day.

Fever Series, by Karen Marie Moning (yes, again)

It’s hard not to keep coming back to KMM. Her writing is that good. And the first five books of the Fever series are exceptional. KMM is the only author I have ever forgiven for ending a book (or four) on a cliffhanger.

The Enchanted Forest/Magic Faraway Tree, by Enid Blyton

I know I’m picking series instead of individual books, but it’s the individual books that make the whole series so special, and Enid Blyton’s Enchanted Forest series is no different. This was the first series I ever read several times – as a child. As an adult, I read it several times to both my kids. No matter how old I am, the magic still enchants me every time.

The Charlotte Stone series, by Karen Robards

I’m not sure what it was about this series that hooked me in, but I read all four books in four days. I didn’t want to speak to anyone or see anyone while reading. I just wanted more, more, more of Charlie and Michael. I suspect the utter impossibility of the situation, the certainty that there could be no happy ending – mixed with the knowledge that there had to be one – kept me reading well into the wee hours of the morning, four nights in a row.

We brought Melissa Chambers over the blog to answer our burning questions!

What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?

Love Actually

Valley Girl

500 Days of Summer

The Little Death

Bridget Jones’s Diary

Describe your favorite scene from each one!

In Love Actually, I think my favorite scene is the one between the singer, Billy Mack, and his manager where they spend Christmas together, and Billy tells his manager he’s the love of his life. I know this is supposed to be in reference to romantic love, but what’s so fabulous about that movie is how they show the significance of all sorts of love.

Valley Girl! This has always been and will always remain my favorite movie of all-time! Punk rocker Randy takes Valley Girl Julie to a seedy night club on the first night they meet, but she doesn’t care because she’s there with him. They have their first kiss right there at the table with her friend (who is totally grossed out) and his wingman and they kiss to the magical sounds of The Plimsouls’ “A Million Miles Away”.

The Hook Up is the final installment of my First Impressions series, which makes this the second full series I’ve written for Entangled Publishing (though for the record, they’re all standalone books that can be read in any order). Now that I’ve completed two series, I can honestly say that the last book has been my favorite to write in both instances. It’s a combination of hitting my stride with all the characters and really feeling comfortable in the world I’ve created, plus it’s fun to pull all the loose ends together in one big finale.

Most frustrating?

Ex-Navy man turned video producer Ty Hendrix is the hero of this story, and there were times I wanted to grab him by by the ears and shake him. The lousiness of his childhood left him understandably reluctant to get involved with a single mom, but during the black moment when he walks away, I was shouting at my computer, “you get back in there, you big wuss.” Luckily, he more than makes up for it in the end.

FIVE BOOKS

If you could only read five books for the rest of your life, what five books would they be, and why?

All I have to do is turn to my right and see which books are most dog-eared on the bookshelf. Judy Blume’s Summer Sisters is one of my all-time favorites for its blend of heart and humor and the endearing multiple viewpoints. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander has been one of my favorites for twenty years, and I’ve loved watching it come to life in the TV series. I’ve adored Kurt Vonnegut since high school, and my copy of Player Piano is so dog-eared it’s practically in shreds. Jennifer Crusie’s Welcome to Temptation is one of my favorite romantic comedies written by one of the goddesses of my genre, so I tip my hat to her quirky humor and heat. Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams is another favorite I’ve literally read hundreds of times, and it breaks my heart every single time.

What was your favorite aspect of pulling all of this story together? I loved the ending where I got to bring everything together and tie up all of the fun parts of the story. I really love happily ever afters!

Most frustrating? The parts I had to cut. ☹ This book came in long and we needed to cut out some sections and that’s always hard.

FIVE BOOKS

If you could only read five books for the rest of your life, what five books would they be, and why?

Can I count the Harry Potter series as one book??? Because I could read those forever. They are my favorite books. I love the idea of an average kid getting a chance to go to magic school and be a wizard and the writing is just out of this world.

One of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich—she’s my favorite author and those books always make me laugh.

The Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. This book touched my heart and changed me in profound ways. I loved this book.

Outlander- this one is nice and chunky and takes a long time to read and lets you live in the world of Claire and Red Jamie for a long time

Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg- I love the small town worlds that she builds and the feel good feels of all of her books.

We interview Zoe Forward, author of the new paranormal romance THE WAY YOU BITE!

What was your favorite aspect of pulling all of THE WAY YOU BITE together?

I love the aaha moment when everything in the story clicks. Something happens in the plot that makes everything work. In this book it was realizing the heroine is a fighter who values above all her independence to make her own decisions in her life, not something that was allowed in the antiquated society of centuries old vampires. This need directed all her actions from when she thought herself pureblood vampire and plotted her escape from her dictatorial father and fiancé to when she discovers she’s half werewolf and fights to have freedom within the wolf world.

Most frustrating?

Having to take advice from wannabe authors like my cat who thinks he can write better than me by walking across my keyboard. Or, my ten month-old who thinks smashing the keys is great fun.

Thank you so much for having me! I’m excited to be on the Ever After blog!

FIRST ROMANCE (AKA My First Time):

What was the first romance novel you read?

The first romance I ever read was “Eternity” by Jude Deveraux. My aunt gave me a box of her old romance novels when I was thirteen and I loved the cover. I started reading and decided right then that I needed a rough and dirty country man loyal to his family.

What do you remember about it?

I remember how the heroine was strong. She was met with such struggles in a situation she knew nothing about, yet even when she was discarded by the man she loved, she still found a way to survive and even thrive.

What did you like most about it?

I liked that the hero and heroine needed each other. They both struggled and were different people, yet found a way to make the other stronger.

Amber Garza, author of the new YA novel I’M NOT IN THE BAND, stops by EverAfter to answer some of our most pressing questions! Read on!

What was your favorite aspect of pulling all of this story together? I always like the resolution, when the couple finally ends up together.

Most frustrating? I struggled a little with adding enough conflict in this story. I had to rewrite a lot of those scenes and add in more angst and problems.

FIVE BOOKS

If you could only read five books for the rest of your life, what five books would they be, and why?

Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman – Alice Hoffman is my favorite author of all time. Her writing is gorgeous. It’s poetic and beautiful, and I’m in awe of it. And I love this book. I’ve read it multiple times. It’s such an interesting story that delves into the idea that we never really know those around us.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – This is my favorite love story! It drew me in from the first time I read it and I could read it again and again. Such a powerful romance. It’s a book I think about often. I love how it ended the way it began. I still sometimes take it off the bookshelf and simply re-read that last paragraph. It makes me cry every time.